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Northern Italy mini-tours can help you capture the flavor of Italy in a short period of time. Many of the country's attractions are located in the north and it is easy to travel from city to city either by road or rail. Escorted city tours can cover a number of locations within a few days, while specialized mini-tours focusing on food, walking or art are available for travelers with specific interests.

Escorted City Tours

Italy's most famous cities are located in the north and with a well-organized mini-tour you can visit many of them. Try and visit Venice for a gondola ride along its canals, see the the Roman ampitheater in Verona and spend time shopping in Milan. Smaller cities such as Siena and Padua are also steeped in history and are recommended for half-day visits on Frommer's Italian guide. Try the four-day Northern Italy tour with Grayline as a possible itinerary.

Art and Culture

Take a mini-tour of Florence and Pisa to see some of Italy's finest art and architecture. You will see Renaissance masterpieces at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence while you can stroll round the city's narrow street taking in fine sculptures and historic buildings such as the Duomo and the landmark Ponte Vecchio. You will need to travel for about an hour to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and some of the medieval squares and buildings located around Pisa. Italia Tours runs a three-day trip covering these two cities.

Food and Wine Tours

Short food and wine tours help you learn cooking skills from locals. Some tours concentrate on particular food types such as cheese, olives and balsamic vinegar, or you can try mini-tours of your favorite wine region. Cooking Vacations has a wide selection of cooking tours including a three-day cooking and wine tour based in the Italian Alps that features a Michelin Star tasting dinner.

Walking Tours

Northern Italy has some trekking country where walkers can enjoy varied scenery, explore local wildlife and try specialty food and wine. Options include trekking in the Tuscan countryside, hiking in the Italian Lakes or walking in the Alps. Responsible Travel offers walking tours from three and four days in the Alps with accommodations in family-run bed and breakfasts.

Independent Rail Tours

Northern Italy's rail network links many of its major cities and attractions. If you prefer to travel independently, plan your own itinerary and travel about by rail. You can reach Rome from Florence in just over 90 minutes and the journey between Florence and Venice in 2 hours 40 minutes. On a short trip, it will work out cheaper to buy tickets for each journey. You can buy online at Trenitalia or at stations.

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About the Author

Paul Bayliss has been writing since 2003 with work appearing in publications such as "Verbatim," "Your Cat" and "Justice of the Peace." He has worked for central and local governments in the U.K. and his areas of writing expertise are travel, sport and social work. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Leeds University.